ZZ Top Filling 2018 Calendar; New Collection

Last Oct. 17, ZZ Top announced that they temporarily suspended the remaining 2017 dates of their Tonnage tour, citing a “tummy ailment” to bass guitarist Dusty Hill. At the time, they wrote on their Facebook page:

“Upcoming scheduled dates on ZZ Top’s current tour are temporarily suspended and are arranged for immediate rescheduling. ZZ’s cornerstone bass guitarist, Mr. Dusty Hill, is addressing a tummy ailment and is following a directive to lay low for the next few weeks. Whew!

The band rocks 2018 and to then blow it out in 2019 as they celebrate a big “50”…! Once-in-a-millennium.”

In January, the “Little ‘Ol Band From Texas” announced their return to the concert stage with a five-night residency in April at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nev.

On Feb. 26, they revealed a big “Blues & Bayous” tour with John Fogerty. They’ve since begun to fill their calendar further with dates well into August. (See below.)

On April 10, the band announced the June 1 release of Cinco: The Second Five LPs featuring their 1979 – 1990 studio albums, pressed on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl. This covers Degüello, El Loco, Eliminator, Afterburner and Recycler. Pre-order is available here.

The band had spent much of 2017 on a seemingly non-stop run. They toured Europe and the U.K. in July. After a month off, they resumed touring North America on Aug. 24, typically playing five shows per week. Then came the abrupt halt.

The band’s unchanged lineup of Hill, Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard released five albums between 1971 and 1976, including ZZ Top’s First Album, Rio Grande Mud, Tres Hombres, Fandango! and Tejas. It was still a few years before the trio became unlikely video stars thanks to MTV’s support of their 1980s run of hits.